A note on the words: a kissaten is the older kind of Japanese coffee house — dark wood, deep chairs, no rush to leave — as distinct from a modern cafe chain. Renoir is the Tokyo chain that has kept that Showa-era format alive since 1964. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Kissashitsu Renoir, Okubo on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
Today’s story is simply drinking a coffee in a kissaten. I had errands around Okubo from the morning and found myself with about an hour to kill.
For killing time at leisure, Renoir is unbeatable!
That is my feeling, anyway. It is usually quiet. The chairs are gloriously plump. The tables are set well apart!! And when your coffee runs out they bring you water!
So: a Renoir blend iced coffee, ordered.
On a hot day, this is the one. The “Renoir blend iced coffee”: Kissashitsu Renoir opened in 1964, and this is the cold version of the house blend people have loved for over sixty years!
One sip: the cold lands on the tongue, then the firm body of dark-roasted beans, and finally a clean bitterness left behind — the archetypal kissaten iced coffee! The polar opposite of the light-roast trend at specialist coffee shops; this is orthodox Showa-era kissaten blend.
And the good thing about Renoir is that you can stay for an hour or so quite comfortably!
At around 900 yen a cup it is by no means cheap — but that price includes a drawing-room-like space and the time to sit in it, which makes the value unbeatable in the end. Idling with your phone in comfort is exactly the point.
Exactly one hour, to the minute. Time to set off for the next appointment!
The fact that they bring you water when the coffee is gone is divine! For a short wait, any old kissaten will do. But for a full hour, with seating and comfort both handled, and a branch near practically every station — surely Renoir is the recommendation!
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Kissashitsu Renoir, Okubo (kissaten / Okubo Station, Shin-Okubo Station, Seibu-Shinjuku Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
